Panthers NFL Draft: Five Running Back Targets

In 2016, Fournette has averaged 6.5 yards per carry for 843 yards with eight touchdowns. He has 15 receptions for 146 yards as well. Fournette has run well, but his ankle injury held back some of the speed and explosion he displayed as a sophomore. Fournette missed five games because of the ankle injury, but he flashed his 2015 form when he came back to set a school record of 284 rushing yards on 16 carries against Ole Miss with touchdown runs of 59, 76 and 78 yards.
There is no doubt that Fournette is a special player. He is a powerful downhill runner who can run over tacklers but also has a burst to break off long runs and run away from them. Fournette also has moves in the open field with elusiveness to avoid tacklers. He is a natural athlete and showed impressive receiving skills as a sophomore. Fournette is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. He looks like a future franchise player and Pro Bowl running back if he can stay healthy. His play thus far has made him worthy of those Adrian Peterson comparisons.

What really sets McCaffrey apart as a runner is his acceleration and explosiveness. He was a home-run hitter and a threat to rip off a huge gain every time he touched the ball last season. McCaffrey has a nice first-step and darts through the hole to get into the second level of the defense. In the open field, he has a second gear to pull away from defenders and also is very elusive. He uses his feet, vision, and agility to weave around defenders. McCaffrey isn’t a power runner who simply runs over tacklers, but he does finish his runs well and can pick up some yards after contact.

McCaffrey has good balance to keep his feet, runs with an excellent body lean, and is a patient runner to set up his blocks. As a receiver, he has soft hands and is a very good route-runner. Not only does he make plays on offense, McCaffrey is a dangerous kick returner. The biggest issue for him is size and durability. While he held up well for Stanford last year, McCaffrey is undersized for a NFL feature back. He is a lot like Reggie Bush in terms of his size and playing style.

Chubb is akin to a human bowling ball, rolling over tacklers and and being a physical force in the SEC. He is a powerful runner who also has the quickness to rip off yards in chunks. Chubb has a real burst to the hole and acceleration to the second-level defense. He uses that speed to consistently break runs into sizable gains. His body lean and ability to run behind his pads is excellent. That makes it very difficult for defenders to get a hold of Chubb and get him to the ground. He has shown quality ball security as well.

There are a few things that Chubb needs to show NFL teams to help his first-round hopes. The first is being healthy and returning to his pre-injury form. Losing some of his speed and explosion could send him to the second day of the draft. The other area is the passing game. Chubb has flashed some receiving skills, but Georgia hasn’t thrown him the ball very much. Illustrating that he functions as a receiver and has the potential to be a blitz protector would help his grade.

In 2016, Gallman has averaged 5.9 yards per carry for 943 yards with 14 touchdowns. He’s added 15 receptions for 96 yards as well. Gallman missed some time with a concussion this season.

Gallman has impressive feet with the ability to be elusive in the open field. He has tremendous lateral quickness to dodge tacklers and a burst to accelerate running North-South. Gallman also has some power to him to pound the ball for some tough yards and finish off runs. It would be good to see Gallman improve his knee bend and pad level. He is a taller back, and as a result, he can run a little upright at times. That can lead to issues with injuries and ball security.

Mack has run well for the Bulls in 2016. He is averaging 7.1 yards per carry for 1,131 yards with 15 touchdowns, plus has 26 receptions for 215 yards. It has been Mack’s third straight 1,000-yard season. He had 1,381 yards as a sophomore and 1,041 yards as a freshman. The junior is a sleeper back who could be a nice role player in the NFL.